The problem with the word quality is that most people use it as a substitute for strategy. Quality is the result of meeting or exceeding the expectations of your customers on the attributes they happy to pay for. This means you have to identify your customer base, figure out what’s important to them and then […]

Everyone wants to be #1 on Google when potential customers search for their products or services. After working with digital agencies, SEO specialists and other wizards of the web, here’s what I’ve learned about making that happen (aside from putting numbers in the headlines of your blog posts). 1. Write for people Yes, Google’s algorithm […]

Eleven hours ago, Oreo and Kraft stepped into the second most polarizing political debate in the country with this post on Facebook. As a company that supports diversity, gay rights and marriage equality, we’re thrilled. As marketers, we’re surprised. Kraft, Oreo’s corporate parent, is about as mass as a mass marketer can get. Coming out in […]

  You have to hand it to the folks at Disney. They are smart. Today, they’re announcing a new initiative along with the First Lady that among other things, limits junk food advertising on their networks that target children, and reduces the amount of sodium in meals in their theme parks by 25%. You’d think that […]

  I’ll admit it. I’ve kinda gotten into this twitter thing. I’m no Rainn Wilson, but I have over 400 followers. I follow a few hundred interesting people. I also participate in a couple of tweet chats a week on branding and innovation. It’s been about a year and here’s what I’ve learned works when […]

You can’t have a conversation about marketing these days without someone bringing up the need to create “Brand Advocates.” As the term suggests advocates are people who are not employed by your company yet talk positively about your brand in conversations with their friends either in person or online in fora like blogging, Facebook, Linked […]

Before you start a new business, create a new product or tackle a new project that will effect your future, ask yourself these five questions. Where am I? Have you ever tried to give directions to someone who’s lost? You can’t until you figure out where they are. The same is true with business. Before […]

The difference between good and great isn’t a big idea. It isn’t breakthrough technology. It isn’t a billion dollar launch campaign. Nor is it the celebrity you’ve hired to endorse your product. The difference between good and great lies in the details. It’s in the curve of a surface. It’s in the simplicity of the […]

There is a lot of advertising out there: on television, in print, on the web, embedded in games, billboards, sponsored tweets, direct mail, vehicle wraps, tattoos, sweepstakes and believe it or not, people are still producing radio ads. While the ultimate goal of all marketing communications is to drive sales, each piece of communication has – […]

Yesterday it as reported that Wendy’s passed Burger King as the second largest hamburger chain in the U.S. in annual sales – $8.5 billion versus $8.4 billion – even though Burger King has 1,500 more stores. What does this have to do with the future of Arby’s? A few months ago, Arby’s hired Burger King’s […]